


Burning in the Stratosphere

by The_Whistler



Series: Vice Quadrant fan stories [1]
Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: F/M, M/M, Rav is interested by Cosmo isn't, The Vice Quadrant (Album), but the vibe is there so I included it in the list, sorry but it's not what it seems
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2018-08-29 20:19:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8504050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Whistler/pseuds/The_Whistler
Summary: The story of Commander Peter Walter IV and his startling transformation, and the adventures he had with the help of a space rogue and his friends, while learning just what he had become.





	1. Looks Like There's No Place to Run

**Author's Note:**

> I remember at some point Bunny Bennett offered the idea that Cosmo was blown into space, had some adventures there, and returned all in the time it took to blow the ship apart because Cosmo can.
> 
> I figure that's when he met Rav.
> 
> I know I had a stack of unfinished fics (or at least a couple of them) but, well... Commander Cosmo and Rav Starburner. Come on. Tomorrow could be a good day or a very bad one. I thought maybe someone might like to read the start of this story as a distraction.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The origin story of a hero.

He knew it would be hard for her. She'd been very brave but he knew. She was being brave even now...

"Peter," she said softly, "I want you to wear my locket. For luck."

Peter looked down as she fastened it around his neck. "It won't be as pretty on me," he said with a crooked grin.

"Oh, you," she breathed, smiling. 

He wasn't fooled. He saw the trembling of her cheeks as she struggled to keep from crying.

"Holly, don't. Don't cry..."

"I'm not!" she gasped, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Holly... baby... I promise I'll be back soon. Remember what I told you?"

She nodded. He pulled her into his arms.

"I told you... I'd hold you," he sang softly, close to her ear.

He could feel her body convulse as the sobs broke over her but pressed on, singing the song he'd written, with a little help from a tall, titanium friend, just for her.

"Hold you 'til the mornin' light... You saved me..."

She had. His father's death had almost destroyed him. His mother had never recovered and he'd lost her, too. The rumors had flown about their family, he'd almost given up trying to get into the program.

Then he'd met Holly. She'd lost people too...

"I'll save you, save ourselves from our own plight..."

His comm activated. It was time to go. They kissed one more time... he reluctantly let her go. Reluctant, if for just a moment... This was his life's dream and they both knew it.

"I'll be back just as I left! I love you!" he called as the astronauts hurried away.

He could just hear her whisper, "I love you too..."

 

Peter could feel her locket next to his heart as the ship shuddered upward into the stratosphere. He still wasn't sure why he had told her that. Sure, she worried about his work, that something might go wrong. He wanted to reassure her. But why reassure her that he would return unchanged? Surely promising to come back at all made more sense...

"Establishing orbit, Bermuda," he said as the ship turned smoothly into position.

"Roger that, Commander. Nice work."

All executed as smooth as silk. He heard a faint cheer in mission control. He could just see them grinning at each other.

Maybe her fear was getting to him. He just wished he could shake the odd little feeling of dread. Yes, it was just her worry sneaking into his head. After all, she was everything to him. It only made sense to value her opinion.

Hodgson and Bishop were up and moving around the capsule. Dwight was checking the readings. Peter jiggled his suit and the locket floated out and into his helmet. He opened the visor and grabbed it, prying it open carefully.

"Sweet, sweet Holly," he murmured. He heard Dwight chuckle softly.

"Hell of a woman, Walter. You're a lucky man."

"You said it."

The radio crackled, startling him.

"Say again, Bermuda?"

He could just make out a voice through severe interference.

"Commander Walter... there's and unknown energy escaping Earth's atmos-"

"Bermuda!" he cried as the signal cut out.

He heard Dwight gasp, "Walt-"

There was blue... deep, bright, almost violet... blinding, burning through the stratosphere toward him, filling his sight. There was nowhere to run, there was no time to speak, to act, to do anything except think of Holly...

He'd promised, and his promise would be broken. And he'd known. He'd felt it. Something was going to happen, it had always been going to happen.

And it was coming right at him.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered even as Dwight's cry cut off in a scream.

Glass and metal sheared apart as if in slow motion. Something struck Peter in the chest and his screams replaced Dwight's as his helmet shattered. He struck something hard... again... and again... heavy cloth wrapped around him ...his heart... his heart was searing and all he could see was stars and blue fire...he was moving... he'd been moving...

Where was he? Where were they? _Where was the ship?_

He only wondered for a split second as he screamed again... he couldn't stop... it hurt so much!

But how could he still scream? How was he not dead already? His helmet was destroyed and the ship gone and he was in cold space! But he wasn't cold. All he could feel was the searing torment of the blue light that propelled him onward, backward through solar systems and nebulae and distortions never seen by human eyes. Was he feeling any of it, or was he dead already, dead and burning in Hell? But surely this pain could only be felt by mortal flesh!

The shapes and forms stretched and bowed and became patterns and still he traveled. How long had he been this way? It seemed like a moment and an eternity...

"Dear God..." he shrieked as the agony intensified. "Let me die!"

He struck something hard and broke clean through it... and another, and another... slowing and finally rolling to a stop in a cold, dark space. The pain peaked and he fell mercifully unconscious as alarms blared all around him.


	2. The Spaceman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rav and Gidget get a visitor. Booplax hides in the escape pod.

"Twiiiliiiiiggght! I only meant to stay a while..." sang a pleasant, middle range voice with a pronounced drawl. "Hey, maybe that's what I'll call this heap! Twilight!"

"That is a terrible name. My database indicates that literature by that name is responsible for the downfall of several civilized societies..."

"Well, we gotta call it something! If we fly it around under the name they gave it we're gonna get busted the next time we dock!" Rav grumbled. "I oughta have Booplax name it."

"Booplax!" roared a beast at Rav's elbow.

"Then you would have a ship called Booplax," Gidget sighed.

"Mmyeah... never mind. Sit boy!"

The creature, resembling a cross between a rhinoceros and an organ-grinder's monkey, settled into its basket.

"So you don't like Twilight. There anything you do like, Gidget?"

The automaton pondered. "Digital watches."

Rav snickered. "I ain't callin' it the SS Digital Watch."

"I suppose not."

Rav continued singing. "...Either real or it's a dream there's nothing that is in between, Twiliiiiight!"

It was a new song to him but he'd heard it many times already. He'd been picking up some pretty sweet tunes from a nearby sector... and he'd managed to save few for playback. This one had the most glorious harmonies!

"Rav," said his companion in a deceptively light and cheerful voice. "My audio scanners tell me this music is reaching decibel levels liable to cause permanent hearing loss in carbon-based life forms."

"Well, Hell, Gidget! Then it's a good thing I'm made of steel."

"My scanners tell me you are made of hydrogen, oxygen, iron..."

"Aw, knock it off!" Rav muttered. "I know androids are s'posed ta be literal but they ain't s'posed to be pig ign'rant."

There was a heavy pause. "I am programmed with feelings, you know," Gidget said, employing his best "reproachful" filter in his vocals.

"Come on..."

"I was only trying to help!"

"Alright, alright! Shoot... just let a man enjoy a song, a'ight?" Under his breath, he added, "Sensitive damned tin can..."

"I can hear you!"

"Yehr gettin' a tune-up first chance we get, boy! Nag, nag, nag. If I wanted me a wife I'd've married that shape-shifter back to Alpha Centauri. The forms they could bend into..." He whistled.

"I would rather not hear the sordid details of your organic promiscuity."

"And now he's a prude. Well, fine. But you're missing out. I know you simuloids do it... somehow."

"As if I would tell you! You might want to try it!"

"Don't flatter yourself. But I tell you what, sometimes I think that's all you need, Gidget. A good fu-"

The ship shuddered wildly and alarms blared all around them.

"Turbulence?" shouted Rav.

"We're hit!" Gidget cried, struggling to regain control of the ship.

"Aw Hell no! I just sto.. _got_ this ship and now someone's blowin' holes in it... wait... crap, is it them? They found us, didn't they? And they'd rather blow it up than let me have it!"

"No... there's..."

The ship shuddered once more.

"There are no vessels within striking distance of this ship!" Gidget continued.

"Not even long-range? Then what the Hell was it?"

"Booplax!"

"No, I don't want a hug ya big cactus!"

Rav and Gidget punched buttons rapidly and the ship gradually stilled.

"Rerouted the power..." Rav gasped. "There's a leak in the starboard wing."

"Yes, it was necessary to seal all decks," Gidget replied soberly.

"What the Hell could make a hole that big?" Rav cried.

"Well, since we are once again on course but at half speed, we can send Booplax to investigate."

The creature hastily scurried under a console.

"Don't freak out. Big baby. Ima go see for myself anyhow," Rav chuckled, removing his harness.

"Do you really think that is wise, Rav?" Gidget asked.

"Sure. You won't let anything eat me, will ya?"

Gidget froze as Rav jogged to the access port. "You want _me_ to accompany you?"

"Yeah! Come on! It'll be fun!"

Gidget rose slowly and followed in a manner that suggested he disagreed.

 

"He cain't be alive. The deck is sealed but there ain't no oxygen in there."

"But he's breathing..."

"How can ya tell? He's wearin' a fat suit or somethin'..."

"I believe that is the kind of suit worn by primitive cultures to protect them from the harsh environment of space."

"What's left of it..."

"Precisely. You can see his chest area. He is breathing."

"And black and blue. I mean, his chest is anyhow. Probably from whatever blasted him through the hull! But he looks human. How could he survive that kind of beating?"

"You have also failed to mention that his bruises are glowing."

"I thought that was the forcefield! Yehr fancy eyes picked that up?"

"Indeed. His abdominal area is purple and glowing. We must be dealing with something beyond humanity as we understand it. What, however, I could not say."

"Right, well, whatever he is we cain't leave him out there. He needs medical attention. Go on and get him."

Gidget's optics grew round. "Whatever afflicts him could be contagious! Any number of dangers could be present! We know nothing about this creature!"

"Sure we do! He's hurt, he's unconscious, he's..." Rav squinted at the man and whistled softly. "Pretty danged hot. But mostly he's right in the middle of a big honkin' hole in the wing and I cain't dispatch the repair drones with an organic life form in the way. They'll read him as detritus and he'll be jettisoned!"

Silence.

"I may be a thief but I ain't a murderer, Gidget."

Gidget rocked back and forth on his feet as though uncertain.

"We cain't let him die, can we?" Rav asked slowly.

"Well..." Gidget muttered, making no move to act.

"Gidget. Gidget Gidget Gidget. Now I'm ashamed of you."

Gidget emitted a low electronic buzz; his form of a sigh. "Very well. I supposed I should be accustomed to such situations and yet I am not."

The hard part now over, he passed carefully through the force-field and made his way across ruined walkways to where the man lay fetched up against a now silent engine. With care belying his reluctance, he lifted the unconscious man and trudged heavily back toward Rav.

"He is incredibly heavy!" Gidget groaned, easing the man to the floor.

"Oh, yeah. Big fella like him gone boneless like that. He's gonna be pretty heavy..."

"No. I mean that he weighs more than any human man could possibly weigh! More than that..." Gidget explained, crouching to gently tug aside a piece of the shredded suit, "this is no bruise. It is not only glowing. This man's chest area appears to be made of some kind of crystalline matter."

"Dayum... And he's ripped, holy Hell, would you look at that body..."

"Please remain focused. He is not up to refusing your advances at this time."

"Who says he'd refuse?"

"Then he is not up to accepting them either. I would rather remain aloof in this matter."

"Cain't argue with that. I don't want you in it either. Anyway, I was just admirin' the view. I'll leave the medical stuff to you."

"Very good. I will summon a gurney to remove him to sick bay so that you may carry on with the repairs."

"A'ight. And hey, thanks for goin' to get him, buddy. I mean it. I enjoy seeing a hot piece of... Well, whatever he's made of... but I am kinda worried about this big fella. Went right through four layers of hull and lining and ain't twitched since we found him. He may be breathin' now but it don't look good."

Gidget nodded grimly, tracing a cool metal finger along a faint tendril of violet that was slowly creeping along the unconscious man's collar bone. Had it been there before? "To be sure, there is more here than my database can explain."

 

By the time Rav had programmed the repair drones and come to the sick bay, the tendrils of violet color had coiled around the man's neck, and the crystallization had taken their place at shoulder level. The battered suit, already glowing the same crystalline violet, lay nearby. And Gidget, his brow plates pivoted with concern, stood staring.

"Ain't you supposed to be doin' a scan or something? He's just layin' there in his drawers."

"I've done all I can. He isn't sick."

"The Hell he's not! Look at him!"

"The scans all read that he is in superior health!"

"You're kiddin'."

"See for yourself. Of course, they are very curious readings. Here, at the head, as well as down at his feet and hands, readings of a human male of a better than average level of fitness. This is consistent with his primitive space costume. Such travelers were required to be in a state of excellent health before embarking. But now see the scan at chest level."

Rav looked. There was a name at the top of the scan. "Walter?"

"There's a small label on his suit. I assumed it was his name."

"Huh. Alright. Walter... unknown life form, systems functioning beyond known parameters. He's healthier than the scan can calculate?"

"Super-human would not even begin to suffice. A man functioning at such a level of health that he may in fact be unable to die. A veritable god."

"Couldn't have picked a better specimen for it," Rav said admiringly. "But how? It don't exactly look like he saw it coming, does it? And will someone be coming looking for him? I mean, the ability to become immortal! Worlds have been destroyed over less."

"A very troubling point."

"I'd ask why he's still out cold, but maybe he's just lucky he don't have to be awake and feel... well, whatever the Hell is happening to him."

"A question I have been asking myself. I will scan the database for records of scientific studies that might be connected with this condition."

"Throw in a scan for explosions and random blasts of matter... start with the blues and violets. Crystalline formations with unusual properties, blasts, meltdowns, any accidents involving elements of those colors."

"Yes, sir!" Gidget said briskly, setting to work.

Rav smiled as he returned to the bridge. Gidget always snapped to it better when he had a puzzle to solve, and when Rav laid off the good ol' boy routine and talked like a real ship's captain.

But his discoveries were disquieting. He couldn't help being excited by the chance of a new life form (especially one with a body like that) but that didn't mean it would end well.

The ship was hot. That was enough trouble. This stranger in sick bay had not arrived at a good time.


	3. I Know that I Have a Heart...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It burns like a million suns.

A few hours later, Gidget summoned him to the sick bay with the message, "He's coming around."

"Hey! You said he was comin' to!" Rav objected as he walked in and saw the still unconscious man. The purple had sent thin tendrils over his chin and the back of his hair had begun to crystallize.

"His vitals are fluctuating," Gidget explained. "There is increased brain activity and he occasionally spasms as though in pain. And no wonder, since the crystallization is escalating as well. It must hurt terribly..."

"Escalating? Because if he's hurting and wakes up and starts flippin' out, with his physique, he's gonna wreck the sick bay."

"This is why I summoned you. I have no knack for soothing. I know you are better at setting others at ease."

"Yehr gonna make me blush," Rav said mildly, pulling up a chair. "I got the ship at full stop so I can stay for a little while and see what happens."

He watched the responses described over the next twenty minutes. The man would flinch and cry out softly from time to time before settling back into slumber.

Once he murmured, "Holly..."

"Oho... that's interesting. Maybe he's got a wife or somethin'."

"I would hope not. It can only come to grief if he is becoming an immortal crystalline being and she is flesh and blood."

"Oh... yeah, that's true..." Rav sighed sadly.

Underneath his cynicism, he was a sucker for a good love story. And Gidget was right. If Holly was this man's love, that love was over. Physically at least. And that happened to be one of Rav's favorite kinds.

The man on the table opened his eyes.

"Oh!" gasped Rav, surprised.

His eyes were a striking blue with an odd glow about the irises, and they were fixed upon the young captain. He opened his mouth to speak and closed it again.

"Hey there, big guy! We were real worried about ya!" Rav said soothingly. "Take it easy now... just tell us yehr name first off."

"Comm..." he began. "Commander..."

His voice sounded strange, like someone speaking through a large metal cone. He frowned.

"What..." He stopped again, shook his head, and continued, "What happened... what... why am I... why do I sound like this? Are my ears damaged?"

He started to rise. The bed shuddered.

"Wait a minute, now. You had a real nasty accident..."

"Accident? Who are you? Why have you brought me here?"

"I didn't! We're still tryin' ta figure out how you got here..."

The man looked around wildly. "Where are the others? Dwight? Hodgson? Bishop? Anyone? Argh!"

The purple tendrils snaked higher and the whole ship shuddered as the man groaned and clutched at his head.

"Now calm down... um... Commander... Commander Walter, I guess?"

The man nodded stiffly and winced as another crystal layer drove up his neck with a sharp ping.

"WHERE AM I?" the Commander roared. The ship shook violently.

"You're... you're on the... my ship," Rav stammered. He still hadn't named it yet...

The crystals shot up another inch and Commander Walter gasped and sobbed.

"You-you've experimented on me! What have you done..."

"Nothin', I swear! We're tryin' to help!"

"Wh-what's happening to me, then?" he choked.

Rav looked at him with wide eyes and gave in. "We don't know."

Walter curled forward against his knees and cried quietly. Rav could feel the vibrations of it under his feet. What kind of power did this man have?

"It hurts!" he sobbed. "Can't you make it stop..."

"I cain't... I'm sorry..."

"We can't even anesthetize you, um, sir... Commander," Gidget faltered. "There's nothing in supply strong enough..."

The crystals snaked further up his neck and he gasped sharply, his head flying backward. The ship jerked in the same direction.

"Gidget!"

"Perhaps we should leave sick bay for now!" Gidget cried.

Walter screamed, shattering all the glass in the room, and Rav, hands over his ears, had to agree with the android. They leaped up as one and ran for the door.

The whole ship shook wildly as the lift took them to the bridge. They had to pry the doors open when they arrived. Booplax was nowhere to be seen. They could still hear Commander Walter's shrieks.

"He's... he's in a lot of pain, ain't he?" Rav asked, trembling.

"That may be but if this goes on, we'll have to head for the escape pods!" Gidget cried, activating the cameras in sick bay.

A set of staticky images appeared on the viewscreen. Commander Walter crouched on the ruins of his bed, clutching his head and screaming.

"Poor guy..." Rav whispered. "I, uh... guess there's only so much soothing I could do at a time like this..."

The crystallization process had grown faster. Most of his face was absorbed now. Another snap and a scream, and his brow joined it. Another, and another... His hair, inch by inch, crystallized. The sick bay split down the middle; a thin crack. The lights flickered in the whole ship. Alarms went off signaling a loss of integrity.

But the snaps had stopped. Commander Walter lay curled on his side, shuddering but otherwise still, his arms wrapped around his stomach. The transformation was complete. He was purple crystal from head to toe.

"Holly!" he sobbed, his voice echoing from every wall. "Holly..."

Rav wiped his eyes. "Is it over?" he asked thickly as the ship slowly stilled and alarms blared around them.

"Dispatching repair droids to all decks!" Gidget cried. "I could use a little help here!"

"Oh! Right!" Rav cried, getting to work. He risked an occasional glance at the monitor. Walter still lay curled in the ruined sick bay, crying like a child. Whether he was still in any pain, Rav couldn't tell. But if he was completely transformed into something super-human, it seemed more likely that he couldn't feel the pain anymore, and that this time the tears were the product of something in his mind.

"Holly..." he breathed.

Rav sighed.

 

Six hours later, the droids had completed repairs. Commander Walter was still on the monitors. Rav had been afraid the droids wouldn't be able to repair the shattered bed, but by the time they reached it, the Commander was floating above it, apparently fast asleep. The repair droids re-engaged the gravity when they were done, before Rav could send them the message to stop. But Walter didn't come down.

"Did he float when you were examining him?" Rav asked, staring as Walter rotated slowly over the sick bay.

"No. His weight remained almost dangerously high. The bed stood up well but I had my doubts."

"Then he's not weightless. He cain't be."

"Indeed not," Gidget agreed, cycling through the cameras to get a full picture of what they were witnessing. "If a man of his incredible weight is floating, it has to be the result of superhuman powers and abilities triggered by his transformation."

Rav whistled. "I'm livin' in a comic book. The man's a mutant!"

"Obviously," Gidget replied blankly.

"Naw, I mean... well, never mind. Let me know when he wakes up, okay? In fact, maybe you oughta signal the sick bay to set off an alarm up here the second he even seems like he's waking up."

"Already done."

"Good. I couldn't calm him down before, not with his whole body blowin' up." Rav whistled. "I've shipped bombs before, but I don't think I ever carried anything this dangerous. I'm gonna hafta talk him down real quick once he wakes up. He throws a fit now and we're all dead."

"Well, technically..."

"Right, yehr a robot. You could get some damage yourself if he decides to take it out on us. We don't know what kind of man he is. He mighta ended up the way he is because he got shot by the cops or stole something he couldn't handle."

"Then you two should get along well."

Rav laughed merrily. "You installed that sass module!" he crowed.

"I thought it might help. But you need not worry. I have already identified him as well as his language, confirmed by his name. The translators have brought it up to date, but he is in fact speaking an Earth language called English... or a somewhat old dialect of it."

"No way!"

"Indeed. Once we are done with repairs, I will share the rest of my findings."

"I cain't wait!" Rav said, grinning.

 

Commander Peter Walter woke in a strange pink room. His first thought was that he'd been sick during launch and been taken here, that he'd slept and had a terrible dream, but he knew no room like this existed on the capsule. It was just too small. And the color! It was shimmering all over. What would cause such an effect?

"Dwight?" he asked looking around.

The sound of his voice echoed from every wall. What kind of room was this? It made him sound so strange...

"Good mornin', Commander!" a cheerful voice piped over the comm.

"Dwight? No..." He looked around and saw a small monitor with a face on it. A man with long hair... was he green or was that the monitor? "Who is this? Is it... It can't be Bermuda..."

"I, uh... I'm here to help."

Had the Russians intercepted them? But surely they didn't have that kind of science...

"Did the launch succeed?"

"Well, now, I couldn't exactly say..."

"Is it classified?"

"Sure, why not?"

"But I have clearance up to..."

"Okay, let me be straight with you..." There was a pause. "You know what I mean, Gidget. Grow up. Yeah, so I need to tell you a few things. But first I need your help, Commander. I need you to remain calm and still no matter what."

Walter stared at the little monitor. "Am I hurt? Is that it? I have a spinal injury?"

The man hesitated. "Would you keep still if you did?"

"Well, naturally, to avoid further damage..."

"Yep, you cracked yehr back. Don't move or it'll be bad."

He didn't sound very convincing but it was more and more clear that this man was in control. It would be best to bide his time and learn more before deciding how to approach the situation.

"Of course. I'll remain very still, then. What did you have to say to me?"

"Alrighty, well... First off, my name is Rav. Ravaxis Starburner. I'm the captain of this here ship."

"What ship would that be?"

"Just my ship, a'ight?"

This was the first sign of annoyance the man had shown. Walter made a note of it.

"And that's the thing, see. I just got it and I keep having to make repairs because someone keeps bustin' it. That someone would be you."

"I assure you I've done no such..."

"Don't you remember anything?"

Walter paused. It had been a dream... a terrible nightmare about being set on fire and launched through space and then... It was all a blur, as dreams so often were upon waking. He'd been in pain, so much pain...

"Nothing," he replied shortly. "Supposing you enlighten me?"

"I do what now? Oh, a'ight... Well... I don't guess yehr used to this, but it's a real fact that you can do a lot of damage just gettin' upset. That's why we need you calm. If you have another fit like... well, like you did in that dream and I'm a dead man. We already know you're tough enough to make it, and Gidget here might survive in space until salvaged and Booplax is a damned coward so he's probably already in the escape pod..."

He was speaking gibberish. Walter was losing patience.

"But me, ima sit here and try to explain what I can and if you panic the whole ship is gonna split open. So can you just try not to make any quick moves? That's all I'm asking. Just try to be still. Pretend yehr in a bog and too much movement will make you sink."

"I don't know what you're talking about but I have said I'd keep still."

"Good! Well... no sense putting it off. I'm gonna assume you ain't looked down since you woke up. At yehrself."

"I suppose not. I've been a bit distracted." 

Walter looked down apprehensively, expecting to find restraints of some kind.

He stared.

The first thing that struck him was the purple crystal bodysuit... no... that was his actual body!

The second thing, which he scarcely took in, was that he was hovering in mid-air.

"Commander?"

"I don't understand..."

"You were in an accident... We found it in the history logs when we got yehr full name."

"What kind of accident?" Walter said slowly, his voice trembling.

This wasn't real. They'd tricked him, given him some drug. It couldn't be real.

"Well... um, Gidget, how's about you tell him?"

A soft but emotionless voice spoke. "Greetings Commander. According to my research, the space vessel The Cosmo was struck but a beam of energy from an unknown source somewhere on the planet Earth. All hands were lost."

"No..."

"The last message received was from one flight engineer Dwight..."

"Stop..." he gasped.

"Reporting that Commander Peter Alexander Walter had been struck directly in the chest..."

"No!" barked Walter.

The ship shook around him and the voice stopped abruptly. Walter stared down at his hands, shaking.

"I... I'm sorry..." he whispered, his voice echoing from every wall.

He closed his eyes tightly. There was a soft plink as he did. But he couldn't panic. He couldn't. He wanted to. He wanted to scream and shout and smash everything in sight. The trouble was, he could now. Rav was right. He could feel it, the raw power, the terrible strength, as surely as he had once felt his own heart beating.

He couldn't seem to feel that now.

Walter looked at his hands. Crystal... purplish-blue and glowing. What did it remind him of?

"Then... the others are all dead?" he said thickly.

"Um... unless one of them is floatin' around somewhere with super strength..." Rav chuckled weakly.

"It seems unlikely," the other voice said in surprisingly gentle tones. "My data suggests it took a direct hit to instigate the the transformation process, and you were the one to receive that. I'm... sorry, sir."

"Sorry... I can't... I can't touch anyone... can I? Like this? I could kill someone..."

"Until you get used to it, though! Just give it some time," Rav said soothingly.

Walter grimaced. Holly... he had never felt such a longing to hold her in his arms. But could he? Could he ever again hold her without hurting her?

But then, who knew how long he'd been gone, to have undergone such a transformation? Who was to say Holly hadn't moved on?

"Time... What day is it?"

"What?"

"The date! When the hell are we?"

The room shuddered gently as Rav stammered, "Look, we don't use time like Earth humans do, okay?"

"But you have all this equipment. Surely you have a calculating device..."

"We got the best one in that galaxy but..."

"What day is it?" he cried.

"Commander, please!" Rav squeaked as the ship jittered.

"Please..." Walter begged. "I need to know... how much time has passed since the accident?"

He heard Rav muttering. He thought he caught the words, "Get it over with."

"Commander," said the person who was apparently named Gidget. "I regret to inform you that approximately one hundred Earth years have passed since the Cosmo was destroyed."

One hundred years. It might as well be a thousand.

He gave up and wept. He didn't know whether he had tears anymore. He didn't really care. _  
_

"Commander?" Gidget prompted.

"Leave me alone."

"But..."

 _"Leave me alone!"_ he barked.

He heard their cries of fear and felt a stab of remorse. But it did the trick. They didn't say another word.


	4. Saalswig

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rav sure does love that ship... and a lot of other things. None of which are technically his.

The ship sat idle as though caught in some sort of interstellar doldrums. It had been three days since Commander Peter Walter had smashed through the hull. 

Rav stared at the monitor. "He don't even need to eat or take a dump. How does he even survive? Don't he need fuel, some kind of power?"

"The readings suggest his whole body is a power source."

Walter sat slumped where he'd been for the past 6 hours, affecting a seated position on one of the beds even though it was clear he had no idea how to come down from his natural hover. Rav was just glad he wasn't breaking the ship anymore.

"Can't we at least try flying somewhere?" Gidget asked.

"You said it yourself. We cain't even knock him out. I got a conscience. What if this character has one of his little tantrums on a populated starbase? They got kids on some of those."

"I can hear you, y'know," came a thrumming murmur over the comm.

"How?" Rav mouthed, startled. Gidget shook his head and shrugged. Aloud, he cried, "Hey, there, Commander! Sure is good to have some signs of life from ya."

"I... I won't hurt anyone. Not if I can help it."

Rav sighed. "I guess that's the question, ain't it?" he said soberly. _"Can_ you help it? I laugh off a lot of things but I don't like seein' people die. If I thought you were a danger to other people and that I could stop you by just staying right here, I'd do it, Commander. You got my word on that."

Walter looked up at the comm at last. He couldn't have puffy eyes, he didn't seem to have tears, his eyes glowed brightly. But there was a look on his face... it just about broke Rav's heart. He was keeping calm on the outside but inside the man was in ruins.

"Our scans say you're in damned fine health, by the way. For what it's worth."

"Great."

"Look, I wanna help you, a'ight? I hate to see anyone hurting like this. And it don't have to be a tragedy, not just that, anyhow. I lost my folks pretty young and the funny thing is you just go on living willy nilly. You think that Holly you keep cryin' about wants you to give up...?"

Walter scowled sharply and Rav gulped. "Shut up about her, okay?"

"I-If you want, sure."

Walter's expression relaxed. He looked away and one hand drifted to his throat. 

"I looked at my suit... Was there anything else with it?"

"Like what?"

"A locket... A pendant, so big..." He made a shape with his fingers. "A piece of jewelry in a heart shape. It was mine."

"No... I'm sorry."

"No, don't be," Walter sighed. "Maybe it's better this way. Clean sweep."

"Commander?"

"Don't worry about it." He sighed and all the lights in the sick bay brightened briefly. "Well... I guess I'd better find something to wear."

"Shoot, I can at least help you with that."

 

Rav couldn't help but enjoy the view. Commander Peter Walter was made of crystal, yes. but that crystal had taken the form of what had been an outstanding body. Gidget was right; the people that sent this man into space had expected him to be in truly superior shape.

And it was entertaining watching him try and get into the clothing while weightless. At least, he still couldn't figure out how to have weight, as it were. He was learning to move all over again. But in this case, holding still was the hard part.

"Brace against me," Gidget said firmly. "Then put the other leg in."

"What is this? These are too fragile, surely?" Walter grumbled.

"It's an advanced fabric, Commander," Rav assured him. "Lightweight and tough. And stretchy. We don't know what clothing with wear well on that crystal body of yours and you don't want yehr pants splittin' on ya, do ya?"

Gidget looked at him sidelong and Rav winked. Gidget shook his head.

"Carefully, now, Commander!" Gidget said quickly as he began to tip over with the effort of stabilizing the man.

Walter reached back and pulled him upright. "Sorry. I think they're on."

Rav looked him over, then yanked the pants up another inch. "There ya go. Hey, you didn't go flying off that time!"

"Oh..." Walter murmured, examining the shirt they had brought. "I suppose I'm growing accustomed to it."

"Good to hear it. Now maybe you can learn to handle all that muscle. Or whatever it is."

Walter examined a bicep gloomily. It flexed and extended like a human arm, but Rav had felt Walter's hand when he gave him the clothing. He was solid stone. It was easily the most baffling thing he had ever seen and he wouldn't have missed it for anything.

"That looks nice on ya," he said as Walter slipped into the shirt. It appeared to be broad enough. _Just_ broad enough. It was a feast for the eyes, really. "You think you're up to going around the ship now? Maybe practice moving around? I ain't worried now that yehr calm."

"I think I should. I'm going to have to learn to move forward. Somehow."

Rav felt the same stab he'd been feeling throughout this adventure. He personally thought it was one of the most thrilling things he'd ever see. The birth of a superhero, and a big buff chunk of eye candy at that. But no matter how many comic books he read, he never became easy with the painful side. The hero always realized what he was and what he could do, only to learn that it was at the expense of the life he must leave behind.

Alarms sounded. Gidget rushed to a station and typed rapidly. "Rav... _they've found us."_

"Aw Hell..." Rav groaned, running for the lift.

"Is there a problem?" Walter called.

"Stay here, we got this!" Rav shouted back as he punched the button for the bridge.

"But..."

 _"Stay here!"_ Rav snapped. The doors closed.

He could still hear Walter's voice as they ascended. He found it troubling but Walter didn't seem to realize that his voice wasn't supposed to be able to carry through the heavy metal hull.

"If there's any danger, I could help. I've trained for diplomatic situations..."

"Diplomacy ain't gonna save our butts, Commander," Rav growled, knowing Walter could hear him. "We gotta bluff our way out because if they brought friends, fightin' won't be an option."

They reached the bridge and Walter's voice was at last too muted to hear properly. The comm crackled.

"But if you're in danger..." Walter persisted.

"Will you shut the hell up? Kinda busy here!"

He slapped the comm switch off and stared at who was waiting outside.

"It's all of them, Rav," Gidget said tightly.

Rav nodded. "Gonna take some real tap dancin' this time."

"Ready?"

Rav nodded and Gidget punched the button.

"Hey, long time no see," he said cheerfully as the screen activated.

She wasn't unattractive as such. There was a type for everyone. Some liked long and thin types, some liked plump and fleshy types, and some liked multiple limbs and faceted eyes and greenish skin. She was at least two out of three, and she had a devastating bust besides, so he was open to the experience. Sex hadn't been on his mind when he met her, though. It was an option but only as a bonus benefit; she'd had something else that made his heart flutter. Something he was determined to have, honest or dishonest, by pay or trick or seduction... he wasn't particular. But she wasn't willing to sell and apparently he wasn't her type. That left option B... hustle it.

"Starburner," she purred.

"You remember me then?" he said with a grin.

"Remember you?" she murmured. "Yes. That would be the problem. For both of us."

She glared at him, and the goons on either side of her did the same.

"I, uh, see you three are still dating..."

"Business before pleasure. Not that I had either with you," she observed. "I got a lot of tricks."

"I was always open for pleasure, Saalswig!"

"I'm sure. Get it where you can. I know your type."

"You could know my type a lot better. I'm still available if you're up for it."

Her goons managed to scowl harder.

"You think well of yourself," she murmured.

"I've had good reviews."

"Paying customers?"

"With a bag daddy tip for good service."

She had a strange smile on her face. He wondered whether it was a good sign.

"I've already paid. And I don't tip."

"Well, then..." he said, leaning forward on his arms and smiling his most charming smile, "I guess there's nothing stopping us."

The goons shifted angrily.

"Hey, don't get worked up, yehr invited, too!" he added with a wink.

"No thank you," Saal said quickly as one of the goons stopped glaring and looked at him in surprise. "We're content with what we have."

"You think that now but you don't know, do you? Those two may seem like the perfect man but you haven't tried me. You may find you don't need a second stringer with me in your pocket."

It was necessary for her to gesture to the goons to keep them still. She turned back to Rav.

"You've already been in my pockets."

He could swear she was enjoying herself. He certainly was.

"Well, that's a start. There anywhere else you'd consider letting me into?"

One goon still looked furious. The other was starting to look intrigued. At the rate the conversation was going, he'd be in the sack with at least two of them before long.

"I didn't let you into my pocket. I certainly don't intend to let you into any other places. And if you try and help yourself the way you did with my pocket you'll find yourself missing more than my ship."

That was something of a setback. Gidget had his hand over his face.

"That's a real shame, Saal. We could have had some adventures together without even leaving the bed."

"That mouth," she sighed, shaking her ponderous head. "Now I remember how you got me off my guard in the first place. This has been fun, but enough is enough. I've come for my ship."

"Ah, now, Saal, honey. I won it fair and square."

"If by fair you mean through every trick you could find. To be sure, you had the winning card."

"There."

"Where you pulled it from I couldn't say but it wasn't from the deck."

"I could show you..." he said with a lopsided grin. He'd been making more progress with sex than with reason anyway...

"I've seen enough. You're already so deeply in love with yourself I doubt you have room in your bed for anyone else. But I'll be generous. You can take a small pod to the nearest human outpost. I'll be taking the vessel from here."

"But... Saal, we got cargo!"

Gidget looked at him sidelong.

"Good. I claim it as restitution."

Rav spluttered for a moment before gasping, "It's a human! You can't take a human as restitution!"

"Well, just take them along with you, then... wait. Since when do humans consider other humans cargo?"

Oops. Saal was touchy about that subject. "Maybe I should rephrase that..." he said hastily.

"Are you transporting slaves by any chance?"

"No! I ain't that low!"

"I beg to differ. I don't take kindly to trafficking of sentient beings, Rav. I was willing to let you go free in return for my ship but my people were property for millennia and if you think I will sit idle and allow you to run off after such a crime..."

"Saal, no, it ain't like that! He's... it's complicated!"

"It's only one, then? That hardly lessens the crime."

"But he ain't a slave!"

"Then produce this human and I'll ask him."

"He's sleepin'!"

"Ah, I see," she said wisely. "I suppose he has you to thank for that. You really should choose sides, boy."

"If you don't have to settle then neither do I!" Rav growled.

"Well, if he's your lover he'll only speak in your defense so what danger is there in bringing him forward?"

"He's not my... Ugh. Fine."

He turned off the sound. "Damned presumptuous... I never said he was my lover! The nerve!"

"Do we dare produce the Commander? She's a privateer in her own right."

"We gotta do it, Gidget. Maybe it'll distract her and we can find a way to escape with the ship!"

"But when she sees him..."

"I know. Maybe..."

The lift doors opened and Walter took away the options by floating onto the bridge. Saal stared and Rav knew they were in trouble.

"Look at that," Walter breathed, staring at the monitor with wide, glowing eyes.

Saal scowled and muttered something.

"I beg your pardon, ma'am! Of course I didn't mean to stare!" Walter said hastily.

Rav hastily turned the sound back on.

"How can you speak to me without the..." Saal was shouting. "Starburner! What have you been doing?"

"Doing?" Rav said blankly.

"This man is a human? How is that possible? What have you done to him?"

"You, too? Boy, I just cain't win! I ain't done a thing to him! He's done a few things to _me_ though!"

"Spare me the details..."

"Not that, woman!"

"What... what is she referring to?" Walter asked slowly.

"I'm coming over, Starburner," she said firmly.

"What?" Rav cried.

"We have things to discuss."

The screen went black.

"What do we do, Rav?" Gidget asked, his usual monotone now laced with fear.

"Let her come over. I don't think she'd destroy her own ship if we tried to escape, but I bet she knows how to cripple it without doing much damage, so running ain't an option. And anyway, Saal is pretty savvy and... well, she's got a heart of gold deep down. I need some advice right now, even if it's from someone who hates me."

He glanced at Walter who was looking between them blankly.

"You're... referring to me, aren't you?" he asked hesitantly.

"You gotta ask?"

"I guess not," Walter murmured.

"Don't take it wrong, Commander. I'm real thrilled to meet someone like you. It's about the coolest thing I've ever seen. But half the galaxy is gonna be after you if word gets around. You may be scary strong but you ain't trained. They'll find a way to trap you and study you and see if they can learn to make more of you."

"I wish I could say that could never happen. But I suspect you're right. Human nature... I mean, whatever nature it is here, well... Greed is a strong driving force."

 


	5. Negotiations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Space viewed through the lens of a man of the early 1960s is a pretty confusing thing, and Rav can't help feeling the judgment flowing.

Peter spent the next hour trying to find his feet. He had, for the moment, pushed the painful memories aside so that he could just keep going. It seemed years since he got on that rocket, and it seemed only yesterday. He couldn't take time to mourn the loss of what had been. He had to survive now, and find out if possible whether Earth was still there and if he could make it his home once more.

The strangers had boarded the ship and they all sat around a large table, having a discussion about matters he could scarce take in. He examined each participant instead of trying to follow the argument in detail.

Rav was apparently human, if green skinned, and seemed to have good intentions. Gidget, who it seemed was a robot, appeared to constantly have his work cut out for him in coping with those good intentions, which had the flaw of being held by a person who felt the ends justified the means.

Saalswig was a formidable... person. She certainly wasn't human. Her mates, as he understood they were, were, like Rav, apparently human, but the color of pale sand and glared constantly. At least, one of them did. The other occasionally could be caught giving Rav a look that Peter wasn't sure he wanted to understand. But then, he was only just grasping the fact that they had some sort of plural marriage, if they were married. They certainly were... close.

What he was beginning to work out was that he was not only far from home in space and time, but in morality and ideology. He had never been one to judge those among him for their romantic choices; indeed, he had often suspected that Hodgson was more than usually attached to Bishop, though the sentiment was hardly mutual. He had been careful not to share his suspicions for fear of placing each in an awkward situation, as well as damaging Hodgson's chance to be part of the launch. He'd thought at the time he was doing a friend a favor. Now he wondered whether he at least could have saved his life.

There was another spirited argument going on about the ship. Peter had at least gathered that Rav had procured it through less than honest means. He was not pleased; he'd started to feel that Rav was someone he could trust in the center of this whirlwind, and now he had to accept that his one possible ally was a common thief.

Still, he had refused to take Peter to a populated area until he was sure it would be safe. Thievery wasn't a noble practice, but it was not proof that Rav was completely unprincipled, and Peter was in no position to be choosy about friends. A somewhat bent moral compass was better than none at all. Rav cared about human life... and whatever other kinds there now were to care about. Peter could relate to that.

But for now, the lot of them argued and all he could do was sit back and take in as much as possible. He liked to know where he stood before taking the next step.

 

Rav had welcomed Saalswig and her beefcakes as cordially as possible, but still the discussion had gone south. He had already abandoned any idea of a foursome; there was just something about Walter that made him feel like he was being watched by his grandpa... had he ever known his grandpa... and he couldn't even so much as wink suggestively under his watchful eye. Shame, really, considering Walter himself was so smoking hot.

Possibly literally, if he set his mind to it. That could leave a mark... And Rav wasn't going to try it. Walter was a one-man power station. 

Right now, though, despite his offers of diplomacy, Walter was hovering silently an inch or so off the chair in the conference room gaping at Saalswig while Rav tried to talk her into letting them take the ship and go. If there was ever a time for diplomacy, this was it, but it did not appear to be in the offing. Worse, he'd hoped that Saal was here to discuss Walter, a much needed topic, but so far she had only rekindled the argument about the ship.

"Look, like it or not, I won that game, Saal! You ain't proved a thing!" Rav shouted.

"Just make it simple, Ravaxis. I did offer the use of a small shuttle to get to Skylos. That's more than generous. I mean, I _could_ have just let these two have you."

Rav did appreciate that. The one on the right clearly wanted to slice him up, though the one on the left looked like he might be persuaded to have mercy... temporarily. But even if Rav enjoyed the proceedings, he suspected the goon would hand him over to his partner once he'd had his fun.

"You were real casual about throwing it on the table, though, weren't ya? Why you so hot to get it back?"

"Never you mind, Starburner. You cheated, it's my ship, hand it over."

"And why are we having such a nice sweet discussion about it, huh? If it's yours, why don't ya just call in tha fuzz to haul me away?"

"I have my reasons..."

Rav felt a bubble of delight rise in his throat. Grinning, he cried, "It ain't yours either, is it?"

"It's more mine than yours..."

Rav whooped. "Is it? Or did you get it the same way I did?"

"The idea! I at least did not cheat!"

"Then why're you so worried?"

Saal sat in sulky silence for a moment, her outer skin turning a deep shade of purple.

"It belonged to my ex," she muttered. "Kronleet Stivhers. I just wanted it gone but now he's turned up like a bad penny wanting it, or me, back. Well, he's not getting _me."_

"Just tell him no! Since when do you have trouble keeping men in their place?"

"I could, but when it comes down to it... He's too well connected. He's a long way from the right side of the law himself what with his buddies in the Moonies..."

"He's connected with the Moonies?" Rav gasped.

There was a soft snicker from the Commander.

Rav looked at him askance. "Yeah, they got a funny nickname, but I bet y'all had a mafia runnin' around makin' some real ugly friendships back in the day."

The Commander's smile faded. "Ah."

"Yeah! Bad news!"

"What's more," Saalswig added, "I know for a fact that he's got ties to the police. He can make trouble for me no matter which route he takes to do it. You know as well as I do how much."

Rav nodded. This he could understand.

"Police?" the Commander murmured. Rav could feel the vibrations in his skin. He had mixed feelings about that.

"Corrupt police force, Commander. I suppose Earth never..."

"No... that did happen sometimes."

"Just sometimes, hm?" Rav chuckled. "That would have been nice."

He turned back to Saalswig. "Saal... I wanna be able to give you the ship, but... well, no, I don't want to, actually. I like it. It feels right. I'm just tryin' to name it and then it'll be mine. It's like adopting a kid or something.

"But I do wanna help you. I don't like seein' nobody get treated like that. You're too good for that piece of trash."

"Rav..." she sighed. "So help me, you never come closer to getting me into your bed than when you talk like that."

"Is that right?" he purred, leaning toward her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Walter staring at them with his blank, glowing eyes. Rav slowly leaned back in his seat and sighed.

"So whaddya say? Can I talk to this dirtbag and try to work something out?"

"Rav, honestly, you can't. He wants his ship or me. It's a power trip for him. He won't submit to your kind of negotiations."

"That's what they all say."

"He doesn't swing that way. He only likes one sex and one species."

"No wonder ya broke up."

"If I may?" Walter said softly.

Rav pressed his hands to the table. The vibrations were actually kinda nice.

"Perhaps this man would accept something else in exchange for the ship."

"He ain't a... Wait, what're you suggesting?"

"That you exchange something... an item or a favor, in return for being left alone."

"He's made it clear what he wants from me," Saal said darkly.

"Yes, of course. You should not by any means give in to his blackmail. It's no better than common rape. But I'm referring to the captain here. If it belongs to her former... um... lover, then he has the right to expect it or something of equal value. Just offer him compensation for the ship."

"No... no, you're suggesting I _buy_ the ship from him!" Rav cried. "That's what you're suggesting!"

"Is that a problem?" Walter asked coolly.

Rav rubbed his neck and chuckled weakly. "It ain't exactly how I roll, Commander. I mean, I could if I had the money but..."

"It's not a bad habit to get into, Ravaxis," Saal murmured. "Even I pay when I really want something. And I remember you made a weak offer for this ship..."

"Yeah... and it wasn't much fun either."

"But he isn't likely to accept any offers unless the price is rich well beyond that value of this heap," she sighed. "He would want something worth more than my humiliation, more than your life or mine, or a favor likely to result in your death, just for the fun of watching you die."

"Holy Hell, Saal! What did you ever see in this creep?"

"He was great in the sack," she said shortly.

"But you didn't know that until you slept with him! Didn't ya get to know him a little before you..." Rav blinked. "You didn't, did you?"

"I am not here to discuss my relationship with Kron."

"You didn't even..."

"Not now, Rav!"

Rav glared. "I don't believe this. You make it sound like you're some pillar of feminine strength and you just up and slept with him before you found out what he was like..."

"Enough. The point is you'll need something he just can't resist..."

"I spent three days tryin' ta charm you enough to just get into a card game and you just slept with a homicidal maniac for the Hell of it?"

"Takes all kinds," Gidget said dryly.

Rav folded his arms across his chest and pouted.

Saal sighed deeply. "Are you finished?"

"That's what _he_ said," Rav growled petulantly.

"Yes, it seems you are. My concern is Commander..."

"Walter," Gidget supplied.

"Commander Walter. I don't know what has happened to you, sir, but Kron would most certainly accept you as the price! You're a dazzling creature."

Walter looked uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat and the entire vessel trembled. Saal grabbed the table in apparent alarm.

"Oh..." Walter murmured. "Thank you. But..."

"But," she interrupted, "he shouldn't get what he wants from you any more than he should get what he wants from me. I do _not_ recommend you make the offer. I've made my feelings on the matter clear. You're better off avoiding Kron entirely, Starburner. However, if you are determined, I lose nothing from your foolishness. He likely can't so much as scratch Walter, and if you're killed, he gets his ship and I get my peace."

"How touching," Rav sighed.

"I'd rather not see someone with your skills go to waste, of course. Had things been different we might have been able to teach each other a few things, in and out of private quarters."

Rav shivered and glanced guiltily at Walter. Well, it wasn't as though she was offering anyway. And he was still mad.

"But as to what I said about Commander Walter, I recommend he stay away while you make your negotiations. I can see that he's new to his form and the abilities that come with it, and that will either mean he'll be an easy target or that he'll destroy far more than his attackers just trying to defend himself.

"So, as to your offer... Here." Saalswig pulled a small square panel from somewhere on her person and stroked it with a tentacle. Rav read the symbols on its surface.

"The title to the ship?" he gasped.

"You took off too fast, presumably before I could find out you cheated, so I wasn't able to hand it over then," she said dryly. "If it's yours fair and square, I can send him to you. If he decides it's my problem and that I need to deal with it, I'll be back myself. If he is willing to come for it personally, well... Just stay alert. I can't vouch for how he'll see fit to reclaim his property. You may never be given the chance to make an offer at all. If you're prepared to accept the risk, I'll give you this."

In answer, Rav took the panel from her and placed his thumb in the center. It flashed briefly and he put it in his pocket. "That's a hell of a name he gave it. I cain't even pronounce that."

"Call it what you will. It's up to you to keep it. Farewell. Oh, and Rav... I recommend finding an uninhabited moon... I know there's a system nearby with several of them... to give your friend someplace to test out his new abilities. I see he can float and I doubt he requires air of any kind to live. He can hear across the vacuum of space and even more remarkably, he seems to think you're a decent person. His gifts truly stagger the imagination."

"Very funny."

"Find out what he can do. Power is neutral but what it does can be very good or very bad. May the stars clear your way."

She raised a tentacle in farewell, pressed a button on her wrist, and the three of them flickered and vanished. On the comm, their ships turned, slowly at first, and shot away in the wink of an eye.

"Wonderful woman," Rav sighed, pulling out the title and smiling down at it. "Well, time to find us a moon with nobody on it. She's right; we need to find out how much damage you can do, Commander."

"I'd rather not do any damage," the Commander sighed. "But I suppose I must know what might happen in order to avoid it."

 

Saal stared through the viewscreen as her crew steered a course away from Rav's newly acquired vessel. She could have felt something resembling second thoughts, if she hadn't decided long ago that they were a burden she couldn't afford to carry. Everyone involved was a consenting adult. Each accepted their own consequences.

"Take it as fast as you can without looking too eager," she sent, communicating with the crew through an encoded message. Walter could likely still hear her if she spoke...

"Yes, ma'am."

She hadn't been kidding about Kron... or Walter. She wasn't sure at this moment which one terrified her more. It would be a shame if Starburner became collateral damage, seeing as how she was not insensible to his flirting or the many circling tales of what he could do in the sack. He was full of himself but rumor had it that he could back up his ego with action.

But Walter's power was a risk he took upon himself. Her scans told her the ship had been severely damaged twice very recently, presumably from the man's arrival, and yet still Rav kept him on board.

He was a fool. Walter was a living weapon. She could only hope they'd head straight for the empty system she'd recommended, because if Kron saw fit to come after that ship himself... and she suspected he would once she dropped a few pointed hints about Rav's sexual overtures toward her... he would be walking into an uncontrolled storm. In fact, by her reckoning there was a good chance that the only one coming out of it alive would be Walter himself, ideally with a better idea of what he could do and some notion of how to control it. If all went well, he'd manage to save Starburner, but either way she would be free of Kron, Walter might be less dangerous, and could possibly be persuaded to see her as an ally. She would seek him out once that was over. Until then, she wanted to be as far away as possible.

"Send word to Kron," she said softly when they had moved, by her estimation, far enough away. "Read as follows: Kron, I gave Starburner everything he wanted, but he still wouldn't return the ship! I last saw that horny bastard in sector Zed outside of Skylos. Maybe you'll have better luck. Don't make the same mistake I did and try to talk to him... unless you want to wake up in his bed."


	6. And Love Songs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a quiet trip to a nearby system. Theories abound about what Peter can do and why, and Rav gets curious about the 20th Century.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just love songs. I was referencing Paul Simon.

They set a course for the system Saal had mentioned. Rav said he could get there in six hours but he didn't know whether full warp would end up causing problems, considering Peter's new form. Peter agreed; he had a feeling he could pass through the hull of the ship if he wanted. He had a theory about how it could be done, and it seemed so simple. If the ship went too quickly, he could be left behind.

And that wasn't the only theory that had begun to form itself in his head. He'd grown up in a highly scientific family. There were always questions being asked, experiments being done, answers being found. But in all the years he'd grown up there, Peter had never found his mind so alert to new concepts, or so quick with possible solutions. Even with all this, the questions of what he could do grew with every passing minute. He needed to experiment, but he didn't dare risk doing so on the ship.

And he wasn't the only one wondering. An hour into the trip, Gidget called him to he bridge.

"Thank you for joining me, Commander. I wonder... do you think you are able to discuss the events leading up to your arrival here?"

"I think so... It's hard. But I need to face up to it if I want answers. I'll tell you if it's too much."

"Excellent. I have been studying the rate of speed at which you were struck by the mysterious pulse coming from the Earth's surface. It is unknown when the energy was released from ground level but your NASA has data stating when the pulse passed a number of different checkpoints. From these I attempted to determine the velocity of the pulse. But there are questions raised by this information."

"What questions?"

"Well, see here... the speed at which you were struck, based upon the checkpoints noted at the time," Gidget said, pointing at his chart. "And now my calculations about your path... hardly speculative since we have the coordinates at which you struck this vessel. If you were to travel that route from the time of impact for some one hundred years, you would be well beyond this quadrant."

"Possibly it slowed after striking... striking the Cosmo?" Walter offered, forcing the words out. "So it was slower?"

"I did calculate that as well, but some of the data was recorded beyond the point of your collision, and this is where it becomes really peculiar. Based upon the checkpoints, assuming each sighting is of the same pulse, the speed fluctuated constantly. Some data suggests the same incredible speed from the moment of impact, but later checkpoints were noted years later but only marginally further along the route... meaning the pulse had slowed to a crawl. 

"Well... you would have. In a sense, you are the pulse, now. The data was gathered at great distances and they would have been unable to detect the human form that was inside the matter. What is strange is that there is no data indicating that the pulse was seen along that path between sightings. You traveled incredibly slowly yet were not detected during the years you presumably did so. And when you were detected, the pulse was clocked at incredible speeds. Even with the slower patches allowed for, adding in the speed that drove you through the hull, how, at such speed, after so long, are you not further into space?"

The lift opened and Rav strolled onto the bridge. "Oh, hey. What's with the huddle?"

"My calculations about Commander Walter's journey before striking the ship, Captain," Gidget explained. Since Rav had gotten the title to the ship, Gidget had taken to calling him by his now official rank. "Walter's speed must have fluctuated as he traveled, and there were times that he was not visible at all. And based upon the speeds that were recorded, he did not reach the expected distance for a one hundred year journey."

Rav looked down at the data and shook his head. "Maybe he passed through atmospheres along the way. That'd slow him down, and might have made him harder to see on long range scans."

"Possibly. But it would also have altered his course. I can only draw one conclusion, and it gives me pause. Walter must have moved through time itself in his flight."

Rav snorted but Peter looked at the data and nodded slowly. "I knew it..." he whispered.

"Knew what?"

"I could travel in time. It was the only thing that made sense..."

"What? Aw come on!" Rav cried. "This is too much for me. Time travel?"

"Theoretically..." Gidget said. "The rate at which his body was consumed by the crystalline matter further supports the theory that he was not in fact traveling for long, as well as the vulnerability of human flesh in the vacuum of space. Although we must take into account the heat created by the transformation. He was likely already affected on a cellular level while in space, or the parts of him that appeared fleshy would have been damaged before we found him."

"He found us. But yeah... it's a tricky thing but he sure as Hell can do things no human ever did, so why not?"

"But... if this is true, I could go back..." Walter said as quietly as he was able.

"Back where?"

"He means back in time, Gidget. And I just don't know, Commander. You wanna go back an' tell everyone yehr the same man made outta crystal? Don't take this the wrong way but they were pretty danged primitive back then..."

"I know. I'm only considering the possibility. I won't do anything rash. I just don't dare. I feel like a man walking around carrying a platter covered in explosives. One false move and... Well, it wouldn't be pretty."

"An excellent metaphor, Commander," Gidget commented. "For now, we must take the cautious road. One that, if I do say so, I have frequently recommended to the Captain."

Rav snorted and Peter smiled. Rav was what his people called a lovable rogue. Despite his shady dealings, it was impossible not to like him.

"Well, if you're done with that little riddle i got one I think we need to solve yesterday. What's he breathing out?"

Walter opened his mouth to speak but Gidget responded faster.

"I have already researched this."

"What?" Rav gasped. "With everything goin' on you got it all figured out already? That was supposed to be my big 'ta-da' moment!"

"I, uh... also have a theory..." Peter said softly.

Rav sighed huffily.

"There was plenty of time while he was unconscious, of course," Gidget said loftily. "And during his sulk..."

"Sulk?" Peter said, a tad sharply. Rav flinched. "Sorry."

"Your period of disillusionment, if you like. The point is that one of the first things I was obliged to confirm was that you were not toxic to the organic life forms aboard the ship."

Rav raised his eyebrows. "Gidget... I'm touched."

"Yes, you certainly are."

"Yeah, you got the sass module but me an' Booplax are literally the only organic life forms on this heap and you were lookin' out for us."

"It's my duty to..."

"Yeah, I know, buddy. Thanks."

Gidget fixed Rav with his inscrutable stare for one long moment. There was a soft blip from the vicinity of his throat and he looked away.

"You're very welcome, Captain."

"Cain't ya go back to callin' me Rav?"

"Very well. Rav. Do you wish to know the results of my research?"

"Oh! Hell, yeah. That's kinda important."

Peter smiled. These two were a joy sometimes. Had he been found by a more serious and scientific group of people, he might have found things harder to handle.

He knew the results of Gidget's research anyway. He could feel it, and he could reason it out. It was the only thing that made sense. He wondered whether his grandfather, who had been a genius in everything but romance, had felt this way. Peter's father, too, had been close to genius level intelligence. Peter, however, had only been able to boast of being above average... impressive in school, needed for the space program, but no genius.

He knew that Peter was gone. It was another change, and while it wasn't bad news, it did make things that much more disquieting. But with his current companions, he could cope.

"I wondered when I retrieved him from the point of impact. As we noted then, he was breathing. But there was no oxygen in that chamber! The question was how he was able to breathe, and later why. Why, if he did not require oxygen, did he breathe at all? And if he was inhaling something other than oxygen, what was he exhaling?"

"Yeah, only I already worked all that out, buddy..."

"Really?"

"Well, kinda. I mean, I figured, hey, he's breathin' but there ain't no oxygen so what the hell is he doin'?"

"I suppose that amounts to the same thing..." Gidget said doubtfully.

"Well, ya built up the drama. What's the reveal?"

"He is inhaling a variety of gases, not out of need for those gases but out of habit, or possibly a simply need to be able to speak... I haven't quite established the purpose. It's clear none are required for him to survive. The important detail is the exhale. From my analysis, while unconscious, he simply breathes the same gases out again. But while conscious, he exhales oxygen."

"No kidding? Well hell, that's a nice feature. You're gonna save me some money with that, Commander. Oxygen ain't cheap."

"How long have you known?" Gidget asked.

Rav gave him a puzzled look.

"I don't know," Peter murmured. "I felt a lot of things before I understood them. It was while I was sitting in there... having that moment, whatever you want to call it... that I first realized I wasn't breathing all the time. It was terrifying... but, well... I understood what you'd said. I knew I could hurt someone. I didn't know how many people were on the ship, I didn't dare react. So I sat there and dealt with it.

"I needed to distract myself so I started to test it. I could almost taste the elements in the air and I wondered whether I could alter them. I mean, my body used to change oxygen into carbon dioxide. So maybe I could reverse the process. And damned if it didn't work.

"So once I knew you were human, I figured I should keep it up."

"Everyone's lookin' out fer me. Ima cry," Rav chuckled.

Peter smiled. "Don't mention it."

"Why?"

Peter chuckled as softly as he could manage. The air rippled around him and Rav shivered.

"You know I can actually feel you laughin'?" Rav said, beaming. "I mean, it feels different than when you're freakin' out. It's nice."

"I'm glad. I'd begun to think I could only do damage. Anyway... in my day, 'don't mention it' was another way of saying 'you're welcome.' It wasn't a big deal, no need to mention it."

"Oh. Well, you know I will anyway. So I'd ask how it is he can sleep but he ain't done much of it..."

"My best theory on that is that he is able to hibernate, in a sense. He has no physical exhaustion but he still has a mind, and the mind requires a certain amount of dream cycles in order to function properly. So the Commander will require sleep or risk becoming impaired."

"How often?" Peter asked.

Gidget shook his head. "I'm afraid you will have to determine that. I only offer theories."

"Of course. Thank you for your hard work, Gidget."

Gidget nodded and Peter turned away. He needed to think, but Rav apparently had other ideas.

"Well, we got a few hours before we get to the first viable moon. If it ain't too painful, how about we look up some music from your time, huh?"

Peter blinked. "You can do that?"

"We got a whole library of old music! We got Van Halen and the Rolling Stones and Queen and E.L.O..."

"I... don't know any of those..."

"What? But they were around in the 20th century!"

Peter shrugged carefully. "Sorry."

Rav sat at a console and started typing. "Okay... says here you left in 1964. How about The Beatles?"

"What, that pop band from England?"

"Pop band? They were one of the most important bands in rock and roll!"

"As important as Elvis?" Peter scoffed.

"Oh, you heard of him! I got some Elvis..."

"That'll Be the Day" started playing from the bridge speakers.

"I hate to break it to you, but that's Buddy Holly and the Crickets."

"Is it? Sounds like Elvis to me..."

"Well, it just isn't. This is fine, though."

"Fine? What music do you actually like, then?"

Peter sighed and sat carefully at the next console. "Maybe I'm biased, but I was more into folk than rockabilly."

"How is that biased?"

"Well, my family had a band that was mostly known for folk music when I was a kid. They were dabbling with rock and roll, though..."

"Your family had a band?" Rav crowed, delighted. "What's it called? I'll look it up!"

"Oh... well, it's a little out of the mainstream. They just called themselves The Steam Man Band."

"Huh... don't know that one. Lemme plug it in an' see what we get."

Peter, now interested on a personal level, leaned in to look at the results. He wondered what the robots had done since he'd been lost. Maybe they were still around! That would be something, even if he couldn't go back... Like having family still living! They might have even repaired Hatchworth by now...

"Aw, sorry... all we got is Steam Powered Giraffe. Sure do like them, though."

"Wait... there was a band called Steam Powered Giraffe?" Peter gasped.

"Yeah... wait, was that them?"

"They never went by that name, no. But it's an awful coincidence. We had a steam powered giraffe robot, built by my grandfather, stored out back."

"Yehr kidding! Then maybe all those songs I liked were sung by robots?"

"You've been listening to them? You must be mixing them up with someone else. They weren't exactly at the top of the hit parade."

"At the top of the what?"

"They weren't big. I mean, people knew about them and they were on the Ed Sullivan show but you wouldn't find them in most record stores..." He thought for a moment. "Can I see the songs?"

"Sure."

Peter stood by Rav's chair and examined the list. "It is them! At least, I recognize some of these songs... Not all of them, not even half! Oh... that's good. That's a good thought. They kept making music. Wait... Hatch Fever?"

"Oh, that one! Yeah, real bouncy. Don't know what the Hell it's about, though. Want me to play it?"

Peter nodded and settled into the seat once more as familiar voices filled his crystalline ears. And before long, a new, high voice broke in and he felt like crying... though he wasn't sure he could.

"Hatchworth..." he whispered.

"Do you know what it's about, Commander?" Gidget asked.

"I think so. Well... no, it's a ridiculous song, but it's just the sort of thing I'd expect him to write. And it tells me something I'm very glad to know. Hatchworth was an automaton we had to store because he got a leak in his Blue Matter core. Even Pappy couldn't figure out how to repair him, much less Grandpappy. I guess one of the family found a way. We'd just about given up hope. He didn't sing with the band but I remember him singing while he baked*."

He sat and smiled helplessly as he listened to Hatchworth's beautiful high notes.

"I can sure see why they put him in the band," Rav said softly when the song ended. "I like the guy with the deep voice, myself. Sounds real butch."

"Which one?"

"Not sure... he keeps changing..."

"That's because there's two. Which songs have you heard?"

"Oh, I dunno... I've heard a lot, can't name 'em all. I got a few favorites though."

"Like what?"

"Well, there's the one I got my name from."

"Rav Starburner?"

"Just Starburner. Guess you don't know it? Yeah, I... didn't really have a name before. Not much of a family either. Once I got out on my own, got work on ships, well, I found out a lot of things I never knew. I found Earth music libraries. I used to just throw them up on shuffle and one day this song comes up and there was just something about it. They don't know me none, they say I'm burnin' up the galaxy. I can feel that. She sang it real pretty, too."

"She?"

"Yeah, this girl sings it..."

"There aren't any girls... I wonder if they built one."

Rav shrugged. "Said it was sung by Rabbit."

"Rabbit?" Peter cried. "Rabbit's not a girl!"

"Maybe he sings like one?"

"No, he sings bass! Well... actually, he sings all over. I suppose he might have some songs where he sings higher..."

"There's a couple where he calls himself a girl, though. Maybe he switched over."

"No... well... I guess a robot could do that. Y'know, now that I think about it... there was a little family rumor that Grandpappy designed Rabbit as a girl in the beginning and changed him to a man when his girlfriend died."

"Oh, that sounds like a juicy story!"

"More like a juicy scandal," Peter sighed.

"There's a difference?"

"What other songs do you like?" Peter asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, my favorite is Starlight, Starshine. You know that one?"

"I don't. Let's see... have you heard Clockwork Vaudeville?"

"Oh, I like that one. How about Wired Wrong?"

"Can't say it's familiar. Sounds sad."

"It is. Good song though."

"So is Honeybee. Oh, but they don't sing that one in public yet. Maybe someday..."

"Honeybee? Why don't they sing it in public?"

"Oh, it tends to make Rabbit malfunction..."

"But I coulda sworn..." Rav scrolled through the list. "Yeah! There it is! Three damn times!"

"Three? Even if they finally recorded it for the public, why would they need three?"

"One way to find out."

Rav played all three versions of the song in chronological order and Peter listened in growing astonishment. "The first one sounds like they usually did when they sang it at home, except that there's no malfunctions. The second... it must be a concert, and they just let Rabbit break down?"

"Maybe the audience don't mind. Sounded like they liked it."

"Why were they whooping though?"

"Dunno. Maybe they got a sexy mechanic to fix 'im."

Peter smiled in spite of himself. "Could be. Maybe they decided that was the best way to deal with the situation. Rabbit can break and they'll distract the audience from the chaos with an attractive mechanic."

"Lookit that! An actual smile."

"I am capable of them still. I just haven't felt it lately."

"No worries," Rav sighed. "So what about that third version? That sounded like a girl."

"But it sounded like Rabbit, too. It supports the theory. I wonder what made him switch over. I mean her."

"No clue. Does it bother you?"

"Well, I had to expect change, being away for so long. But Rabbit always was pretty peculiar."

"Bein' a girl is peculiar?"

"Someone being male one day and female when you see them next is fairly unexpected, you must admit."

"In a human, I guess. But she's a robot."

"Yeah. So, no. It's not terribly shocking. In fact... there were a few family rumors that my Uncle Peter liked to cross over sometimes."

"You're named after yehr uncle?" Rav asked.

"Well... It's an odd thing. My family has at least five members named Peter Alexander Walter. I'm the fourth."

"No kiddin'? Wonder how many they got up to while you were gone!"

"Maybe we can check later. I don't think I want to look at family right now," Peter sighed.

"Alrighty, let's stick with music. Lemmee see... Have you heard Juju Magic?"

"No," Peter said, frowning. "Is that by them?"

"It's on the list."

"That's an odd title for one of their songs."

"Your turn to name one."

"We're taking turns?" Peter chuckled. "Alright... What about Captain Albert Alexander?" Peter asked. "That one was pretty popular."

"No... oh, wait... the one about the sailor?"

"That's it!"

"Oh, yeah... haven't heard it in a while. Yeah, I like that one a lot. There's even a video file of it and... hey, they were all guys in that. Maybe she went girl afterward." Rav scratched his head and looked up at the ceiling. "Hm... What was it he called his ship?"

"The Sea Slater."

"What's that mean anyhow?"

"I don't know, honestly. It's a strange name."

"But he was a pretty tough guy, right?"

"So the song goes, yeah."

"Alexander... That's your middle name, too, huh? Well, maybe that. The SS Alexander."

Peter was astonished. "You're naming your ship after Captain Albert Alexander...?"

"And you. You've made your mark in it. I could call it the Walter but I like Alexander better. That okay with you?"

"Well... I'd be honored. And the Captain would be, too."

"Done, then. Hey, Gidget, I got one!"

"And it's about time, too," Gidget responded.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just realized... Peter was born the year Hatchy was stored. My bad. I'll just leave it the way it is.


	7. Light Speed Quick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Superhero training begins.

Rav woke the next cycle to a chime from his comm.

"We've reached a suitable moon, Rav," Gidget told him.

Rav arrived at the bridge hastily gulping a nutrition drink spiked with caffeine. "You ready to see what you can do, big guy?"

Commander Walter was hovering in a sitting position, carefully examining a tablet. He looked up as Rav approached.

"This is remarkable! I knew you had music stored here but it's so much more! The whole universe in a single small device!" he cried.

"Aw, that's just a little one, Commander," Rav chuckled, holding on to the seat next to him. He was getting used to the constant vibrations.

"Really? Amazing! Computers filled entire buildings back on... on Earth."

He was doing his best to cope but Rav could see the pain in his glowing eyes when he mentioned his home. It hurt and he knew there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it. It was the death of his past life, and nothing cured death.

He took a deep breath. "Alrighty, Commander! Let's get down to that moon!"

"Right." Walter stood.

Rav smiled impishly and held out his arms. "Carry me?"

Walter's eyes widened.

"Rav, really..." muttered Gidget.

"What? We know he can fly!"

"To be sure, he can hover in a general direction. But we don't know that he can land."

Rav chuckled and lowered his arms. "I know. Shoot, it don't pay to joke with some people. A'ight... let's get to the shuttle!"

An hour later, Rav and Walter arrived at the surface of the moon. Rav gave his oxygen tube a little wiggle and checked his atmospheric generator before exiting the craft.

"Well, it's certainly devoid of life," he said as he stepped out.

Walter was staring at him. Rav started to smile before remembering how unlikely it was that the stare meant anything _really_ pleasant.

"What?" he asked.

"To think you could survive in space wearing such a simple suit," Walter breathed. "Is that really going to protect you?"

"Sure! Tough as nails unless I do something stupid and break it. And I bring a spare. I like to live by the seat of my pants but only a fool steps out without a spare."

He tugged a small packet from his pack and displayed it. Walter shook his head.

"And if you don't have the time to deploy it?" he asked.

Rav blinked. Walter was genuinely worried. He was rather touched.

"Well, you'll have to save my butt, then."

"Your trust in me is touching but..."

"Don't be modest, man. If anyone could do it, it's you."

"It's not that. We came here to find out what I can do. I'd be as likely to kill you as save you."

"Commander. Look... space travel is risk. You should know that. Right?"

Walter sighed. The vibrations from it tickled.

"Of course. I suppose I'm just... I apologize."

Rav sighed. He really felt for the guy.

"Look... don't apologize. I know we all been dancin' around the subject, but you just went through Hell ten times over and to be honest it's amazing that you ain't still curled up in sick bay cryin' for... Well, I'm just impressed that yehr up and movin', a'ight? If yehr nervous about goin' out into space I guess that just makes sense. But this is old stuff to me. This AG ain't even the newest version. It's good, though, okay? Standard issue, solid construction. And I meant it about you savin' me. I know you got my back. So let's find out just what you can do. There has to be a silver linin' to all this crap."

Walter surprised him with a small but genuine smile. Rav grinned.

"You ain't done that much. I'm honored. Well. Come on, big fella."

Walter followed him out and Rav noticed he showed no fear for himself as he exited the craft. He'd honestly expected some hesitation from him, though despite his protests, Walter seemed to own his new abilities as if he'd always had them. He supposed the man, or whatever he was, instinctively knew he could survive without life support.

"A'ight, step one, I guess... flyin'. Yehr hoverin' around but how fast can you go?"

Walter frowned. "I have a feeling it's pretty fast."

"And you may be right but we should find out. Start with a short hop as a test if yehr worried."

Walter nodded. He looked around. "I'll fly to that crater and back."

Rav squinted. "What crater?"

"It's a few miles away by my reckoning..."

Rav tried to whistle. It didn't come through the respirator very well.

"That's a discovery. You got great eyesight apparently."

"Or yours is very poor. But I see it so I'll try that."

"Wait!" Rav cried. Walter looked at him blankly. "Just don't test yehr speed comin' back, okay? We can time ya later. Right now, well, like Gidget said. Make sure ya can land."

"Ah. Alright."

And Walter was gone. Rav felt a violent tug from the space around him and began to slide across the moon's surface in the same direction.

"Dammit!" he swore, scrabbling for a boulder as he passed.

He slammed back first into something hard and grunted with pain, trying to catch his breath. How fast was the man moving to be able to pull him along in such a thin atmosphere?

He hastily checked his suit and sighed. "I shoulda thought that through," he muttered.

He eased himself around the rock he'd struck and squinted in the direction Walter had gone. There was a violet glow approaching. He seemed to slow as he approached and at last drifted to a gentle halt.

"Pretty damn fast," Rav said, rubbing his shoulder.

"I could go a lot faster. I can feel it."

"I appreciate that but ya gotta get a little ways off first, next time around. I didn't think ya could have a slip stream in a vacuum but apparently you can. Just you, I figure."

"Oh... Are you alright? Your shoulder is red..."

"I slammed into this boulder but... Wait... are you scannin' me or something?"

"I, um... I can see inside you. Certain spots are hotter than usual. I think you're bruised in several places."

"That's a find! Whew, that ain't a bad addition to the set, x-ray vision!" crowed Rav. "You don't see any broken bones, do ya?"

"Not that I can tell. I can see inside you but I have very little medical training..."

"Good enough. Alright, well, that went fine but I really think ya need to practice for a while. Ain't nothing I do well that I didn't learn by doin' it over and over."

He grinned and half-hoped that Walter would ask for an example. 

"Well... alright. If you think we have time," Walter replied.

Oh, well. "I don't know when Kron is gonna come lookin' for us and I don't have a plan for when he does. Might as well just keep on doin' what we woulda done anyhow. Sooner or later, you gotta take control of that power of yours, so git to work."

Walter nodded, flew slowly to a safe distance, and commenced practicing stops and starts.

 

As cool as it was to see a superhuman in action, Rav found that it made for a fairly dull afternoon. He had watched for a while; it was fascinating to say the least. Walter left a sparkling trail behind him as he moved. After a few passes, Rav had already named it... Cape of Starlight. It wasn't exactly a power or even exactly starlight, but it just needed naming.

But in time he got bored and wandered into the ship. After straightening things up and adjusting his seat for a few minutes, he had lunch and watched the sparkling trails zigzag across the moon's surface until he dozed off.

He awoke suddenly to the sensation of the ship lurching. Walter was hovering beside him.

"Commander!" he gasped, hand on his chest. "You gave me a hell of a startle!"

"Sorry!" Walter said briskly. He was smiling broadly. "But I wanted to tell you... I've reached speeds I never knew possible!"

"Well, that's just fantastic, Commander," Rav said pleasantly. "I was just watchin' you out the..."

He stopped. Walter was outside the ship.

"How the hell..."

"That's what I wanted to show you!" Walter said.

He was still in the ship...

The Walter outside moved backward toward another glowing figure that was moving forward. Rav stared. What the hell was he seeing? The two figures waved at the ship as they fused before his eyes and disappeared.

And still Walter stood beside him.

Rav let out a stream of profanity, not really caring whether Walter approved or not.

"Are you swearing? Those are new ones to me..."

"What the hell did I just see?" Rav shouted.

Walter smiled sheepishly. "I figured out how to do it."

"Do what? Split into more Walters?"

"No... not yet, anyway. I figured out how to move through time. You remember, I can..."

"Yeah, yeah, I remember! That was forward! Skipping forward through time! Not walking back over it like yehr running the wrong way on a conveyor belt!"

"That's a pretty good analogy. The trick is..."

"No. Gimme a few minutes. Just let me soak this in. Don't think I'm sayin' it's bad, Commander. I just need some time to get my head around it is all."

"Ah." Walter sat carefully in the seat beside him.

Rav stared out at the now empty surface and took a deep breath. "You can really do it," he murmured.

"Yes, I can."

"That's pretty amazing..."

"Y'know, a week ago I would have thought so, too," Walter murmured. "But now..."

"It just seems so simple?"

"It does! It is, Rav! If humans could learn how to..."

_"If._ But for now, well... It's just you. And it's great but I'm kinda in shock..."

"Oh. Well, maybe for now we should return to the ship. I can see you're tired and I can't help worrying that something will happen while we're out here, away from the safety of the ship."

"I don't know, man. Anything happens, you can go back and straighten it out, right?" Rav chortled.

"I don't know about that. You have to consider things like causality and the risk of paradox. You just can't go around changing a timeline and expect no consequences..."

"Well, you're the right guy to have the power," Rav yawned, closing the hatch for takeoff. "If I had it, I'd change the hell out of history and let the timeline straighten itself out."


	8. He Unearthed Special Powers from His Deep Cosmic Id

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He didn't have much choice under the circumstances. A crisis often brings out unexpected abilities.

They took another couple of days to allow Peter to practice. He now moved with grace around the surface of the moon without so much as ruffling Rav's hair in passing, and with a little adjustment could also move through the ship at regular gravity. The practice had paid off.

But he was still curious about long-distance travel.

"Clock my time. There's a planet in that direction I intend to make for, provided there are no inhabitants who might object..."

"No worries. The scanner says that's a harsh planet with some life, none of it sentient, an' it's about five light hours away. Seems like a good one."

"Right."

Peter flew a little way away looked back and nodded. He could feel the space close in behind him as he shot away.

His body didn't register the emotional responses it once did, but this was a thrill that even he could process. He was in space! Not in a ship, not on a moon, but himself, passing through the vacuum at speeds no human could endure! He was surrounded by an aura of violet and white that was growing brighter as he moved. He laughed and the aura flashed.

His destination was very near now. He knew the planet was further away than Mars was from Earth, and yet he closed the distance with ease... by his reckoning, it took maybe twenty minutes. He'd taken longer to drive places back on earth.

Once there, he swiftly snatched up a fallen branch and ricocheted back the way he had come, expecting to return to see Rav grinning and waving.

But Rav, when he came close enough to see clearly, wasn't alone.

A trio of large creatures in suits much like Rav's stood near the ship, grappling with something. One moved enough to show him what he already feared: Rav, on the ground, curled into a ball against the blows he could see still falling. His life support device was gone, the backup packet half under the foot of one of the attackers.

Without a functioning suit, Rav would die! And indeed... his skin was already pallid, frost forming on his fingers.

Peter was furious. He didn't even hesitate except to slacken speed for Rav's sake. He flew straight into the group, swooping away the first of the thugs, then grabbing and tossing the next. Rav, who had at least appeared conscious as he approached, went limp.

The last of the thugs reached for a weapon on his belt. He was dead before he so much as touched it.

Peter didn't let himself think about what he'd done. He lifted Rav gently and hurried into the shuttle, lowering him into the command chair. But Rav was down for the count and Peter, for all his strength and speed, was helpless... he couldn't pilot the alien ship, couldn't use the controls to activate the oxygen containment... couldn't even close the door! Everything was too malleable, too fragile, Rav most of all.

He gingerly scooped Rav up and made a beeline for the Alexander, fighting panic. Rav was too still, too cold! He concentrated, created the necessary warmth to counteract the cold of space. But he still wasn't breathing!

Peter had learned rescue breathing in the Marines. But he knew he could go one better now and supply a mixture of gaseous elements with every exhale. He tipped Rav's head back and carefully blew a cocktail of the necessary gases into his mouth at regular intervals, hoping he wasn't too late. 

"Gidget!" he called, when he flew close enough.

But as he flew over the ship's hull, looking for an airlock, he saw it... the ship the thugs had surely come from, tethered to the Alexander. He hastily slipped out of view and found an airlock. He'd just have to break it open and try to reseal it and hope they weren't found until he could get Rav breathing again.

But the airlock came open easily. He slid inside and set Rav on the floor to resume rescue breathing and hopefully warm his limbs. But he only got two breaths into Rav before he discovered in no uncertain terms that he had woken. His kiss of life had taken on a more... _cooperative_ quality. He hastily disentangled himself from Rav and backed away.

"I didn't know you cared," Rav drawled wearily, smiling up from the floor.

"Y-you kissed me!"

"Who kissed who?" Rav chuckled. He gasped softly, closing his eyes. "I... ouch... they got me good... but yeah, you kissed first, boy..."

"I was giving you the kiss of life... You weren't breathing!"

Rav opened his eyes. "I know, buddy. An' I 'preciate it."

"I'm sorry for any misunderstanding..."

Rav grinned wickedly despite his pain. "It'd be a bigger surprise if ya'd meant it, big guy. I just had ta mess with ya a little. It was like kissin' a sculpture anyhow."

Peter nodded uncomfortably. He knew about Rav's highly liberal approach to sexuality, but hadn't assumed he would become the object of desire for one of his dalliances. For while Rav joked, he'd more than once caught the man admiring him, or so it had seemed. When he thought it over, though, he couldn't really blame anyone for staring at a man made of violet crystal.

He mutely tended to the young captain, checking him for damage and trying to make him comfortable. There was nothing more he could do; the man was a mass of bruises, contusions and even a couple of cracked bones.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Rav _had_ just been teasing. That would be consistent with his past behavior. He loved a joke.

Rav, with his assistance, managed to sit up, groaning. "They ported in about fifteen or so minutes after you left," he gritted, clutching his side. "Caught me before I knew what was what. Couldn't contact the ship so... I tried ta fight 'em off... too many and too big so I made a break for it but... they caught me pretty quick, beat me down and ripped off the AG. They weren't done with me either, but then they stopped... no... that musta been you."

"That was me, yes. I... I stopped them."

Rav raised his eyebrows. "You alright?"

"Me?" Peter asked incredulously.

"Yeah. I just remember they stopped and I passed out. But if that was you, they prob'ly ain't gonna be botherin' anyone ever again."

Peter grappled with what to say. Finally he murmured, "I've never fought like this before. I couldn't be gentle... I don't know how. But they were attacking you, three men against one. That's... that's just not right."

"Thank you," Rav said sincerely. He whimpered faintly with pain.

"You have broken ribs," Peter whispered.

"I know, but... why you so quiet?" Rav gasped. "An'... come to think of it, why're we in tha airlock?"

"They're here. Their ship is alongside."

"Damn... did it look like this one?"

"A bit..."

"Kron, or his men. Stake my life on it. What's left of it. Aw, hell... how can I fight 'em off like this? Booplax'll either be dead or hiding and they got to Gidget..."

"How can you know that?"

"The ship didn't respond to my distress signal. And they found us too fast. There's a few moons out there and a lot of surface among 'em. Needle in a haystack. So Gidget must have told 'em..."

"He wouldn't do that..."

"Not intentionally. They caught him off guard or scanned him or somethin'! All I know for sure is he's compromised. So it's on me to take back the ship... _you_ cain't do it... you might wreck the joint!"

"Well... I mean, I did fight off the attackers..." Peter objected meekly.

"In the open. But here... I don't know. They cain't hurt you but who knows what they _can_ do? And make no mistake... They know more'n we do. Saal told them enough I bet."

"But she said she was just going to tell him you had the ship..."

"Saal's a complicated woman, Commander. Don't ever assume you know what's on the mind of a complicated woman. I'm sure she done told him to come see me. I just don' know what else she done told him along with it."

He couldn't argue with that. Saal had certainly been shrewd and cagey in their conversation with her.

Peter sat back on his heels. "Then I think... How about I start by scanning the ship? So we know how many there are."

"You can see through metal?"

"Maybe. I can do so many other unexpected things that anything seems possible. Let me try."

Rav shrugged and winced. "A'ight. Cain't hurt to try."

Peter stood and looked carefully through the airlock window. There had been so many surprises since his change that this one didn't seem too far-fetched, but when it came down to it, he wasn't sure how to begin. He hadn't come up with a theory for this one, but... he just needed his perceptions to penetrate the metal. There had to be a way.

He focused on seeing through the corridor wall beyond... _Focus, see through it,_ he thought. _Pass through the metal... see through... concentrate!_

A searing yellow-white light burst from his eyes and melted a hole in both the glass and the corridor beyond before he hastily snapped his eyes shut.

"What the hell just happened?" Rav hissed as alarms began to sound.

Peter cautiously opened one eye. To his relief, the energy burst had stopped. He turned to Rav, who cringed and ducked as much as he was capable.

"I don't know... but we have to get moving. You don't have to do that; it's stopped."

Rav rose with assistance, gasping at the strain on his cracked ribs. "You better figure it out!" he hissed as Peter pried open the door. "I don't even wanna make eye contact with you if it means my head is gonna get melted clean off my shoulders!"

"It... it wasn't easy to do, okay? I had to really concentrate to make it happen."

_"Real_ comforting," Rav muttered.

Peter stepped out of the airlock. There were running feet approaching. A group of assorted thugs stopped dead in their tracks, staring.

"I have no quarrel with any of you," Peter said firmly. "I just want the ship and those on it left in peace. If your employer wants it, he can come and negotiate for it in a civilized manner..."

He heard Rav snort a split second before a blast of energy struck him from one of the thugs' guns. They all gasped as it splattered against him and burst apart, showering the hall and the airlock with searing bits of energy. The corridor walls hissed as it struck and he heard Rav cry out and fall messily to the floor, swearing.

"You okay?" Peter hissed, eyes on the thugs, who were looking at their blasters and appeared to be doing some mental math.

"Yep," choked Rav drily. "Just super."

"As you can see, I can't be harmed by your weapons," he said, a little louder, so that the walls shivered. The thugs looked around in alarm. "I will let you go in peace as long as you leave this ship and take nothing with you. And tell your employer what I said. If he wants this ship or anything on it, he will have to go through me."

Rav was swearing again. He suspected he had a problem with the way he was handling the situation, but the captain was in no position to object. Peter was trained to employ diplomacy first, and indeed, his would be assailants did seem to be discussing the matter among themselves. They at last fell silent and turned toward him.

And promptly dropped their guns, running at him en masse.

_Well, damn..._

They weren't leaving him much choice. Peter wanted to hold them off, but as long as Rav was in the airlock there was too much risk... one could get in and hurt him, or the controls could be activated and Rav would be ejected into space.

He slung the first thug down the corridor, trying to give him a chance to tuck and roll. He was lighter than anticipated, however. The thug ricocheted off the ceiling with a sickening crunch and fell in a heap, where he stayed.

He dodged the second, who fell flat on his face. Two more after that... Peter grabbed them by the skulls and used them to push the rest backward. The thug he had tripped had rallied and grabbed him from behind. Peter whirled him around and used him to knock the others, who had resumed their push forward, back as one. They dropped like bowling pins as he struck. None appeared to be seriously injured.

The first, however... He glanced back and saw that he was still unmoving... and fluid was pouring from somewhere on his person. Damn.

Peter stepped into the airlock while the other thugs were trying to untangle themselves and scooped up Rav, who cried out in pain. But there was no time to be cautious... Peter flew down the long corridor with him as quickly as he dared, triggering another airlock just around the bend. Flying a bit further, he placed Rav into an alcove by one of the rooms and cautiously slipped back the way he had come.

_Don't been seen,_ he thought. _I don't know if this will work, but... be invisible..._

He had more confidence in this one. He'd had no theories about how to see through metal, but how to be see through himself? That, he thought he could do. It was akin to passing through objects... in a way, now they would pass through him... or at least, light would.

He looked at his hand. Not exactly invisible, but translucent... almost like he was made of water. There was an outline, a soft shimmering around each finger. But he could see right through. It was thrilling.

He heard them coming and slid along the wall. They wouldn't notice him too quickly, at least. They were looking into the airlock...

Peter rushed in and grabbed as many as he could, stuffing them inside. Before they could escape, he snatched up the last two and threw them in as well and punched the button to close the door.

There was a pulse. What was happening?

A chime sounded over and over. "Jettison in progress. Exterior doors will activate in twenty seconds. Input command code to override."

The thugs looked at him with terror in their eyes as it sank in... he didn't know how the hell the airlock worked, really...

He frantically examined the controls but it was no good without the code. Peter zipped down the hall, scooped up Rav again, and zipped back.

"Stop it!" he cried, and the walls trembled. "They're going to die!"

"They... ugh... tried to kill us," Rav rasped, clutching his ribs.

"I know! Just... stop it. Keep them inside but stop it!"

Rav, nodded, punched a few buttons, and the countdown stopped. The thugs seemed to sag as one with relief. One of them hugged another and started to cry.

"Thank you," Peter whispered, as robots trundled out to repair hairline cracks formed by his shouting.

"I woulda let 'em die," Rav said matter-of-factly. "But you... you got enough to handle already, I reckon."

Peter sank to the floor and stared. "Yeah. There's one down the hall that didn't make it. Then there's the three on the moon... most likely no better off."

Rav leaned against the wall, hissing as he eased himself into a somewhat restful position. "I hope you understand how much I 'preciate it, though. All of it."

"But to take four men's lives for one... Rav, don't take this the wrong way, but that's not what I've always believed to be a fair exchange."

"I know. But there's more'n souls in the balance, Commander. Four men mindin' their own business, sure... that ain't right for them to die. Four men tryin' ta murder you? All bets are off. Although..." He grinned painfully. "You could go back in time an' fix it, right? I know ya don't wanna mess with tha causality or whatever but this is a little more serious."

Peter shook his head. "In theory. In practice... I don't know that I'd handle it any better the second time around. To fix it I'd have to know what happened before they reached us and stop them then. Even if I knew the exact time and knew how to adjust my own to reach it. It's all very well to speculate but I'm just not willing to risk it. Besides... I honestly forgot that was an option. It took a lot of practice to get up to that speed... it's not particularly instinctive."

Rav shook his head. "Welp, what's done is done an' what's fun is fun. Time to get my ship back."

"Right." He sighed. "If there are more, and I assume there are, then I suppose these have already communicated with them..."

"Nah, I blocked their comms when I locked the door."

"Good thinking. But most likely they'll send more men eventually. We need to be prepared."

"Yep. And we need ta find Gidget. Deprogram him if we have to. But first... I gotta do something I'm not gonna like one little bit."


End file.
